On 5 March 2023, Alzheimer’s Care Armenia ( ACA) announced that it had begun a drive to finance Phase II of its Brain Health Project in Armenia. The San Clemente, CA-based non-profit organisation will offer home healthcare and palliative/hospice care services in Armenia for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and will continue to train local doctors and nurses in the latest care and treatments for memory loss.
In 2018, ACA began bringing Alzheimer’s services to Armenia at a time when there were hardly any resources available for memory loss in the country. In June 2022, it launched the Brain Health Project, funded by the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, that was the first country-wide, early-detection memory screening and Alzheimer’s disease training programme in Armenia. ACA partnered with the highly successful Armenian EyeCare Project. Its team of healthcare providers follow the EyeCare Project’s mobile hospital across the nation to provide dementia screening. The team also offers training certified by Armenia’s Ministry of Health to physicians and nurses at hospitals and clinics, thereby increasing the skillset of medical personnel and enabling them to conduct their own memory screenings. By the end of Phase I in May 2023, ACA will screen 4,000 people in Armenia for signs of memory loss.
“In Phase I of the Brain Health Project, we learned that people showing signs of Alzheimer’s very much want to stay at home rather than move into nursing homes,” said Dr Mahakian. “We need to better support family caregivers so they can provide the care their loved ones require. A follow-up call to the family when cognitive issues are detected isn’t enough. Families need more help, which is what Phase II will deliver.” Phase II will also bring Memory Cafés to every region in Armenia. Modelled on those in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, ACA opened the first Memory Café in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, in October 2022. People with memory loss and their loved ones gather at the café for support and engage in cognitive exercises and games. “The Brain Health Project makes a big difference in the quality of life for people with Alzheimer’s in Armenia as well as for their families,” explained Dr Mahakian.
“Alzheimer’s is a global problem and Armenia is no exception. A large foundation in New Jersey has committed to funding a third of Phase II pending full funding,” concluded Dr Mahakian. “We’re now appealing to Armenian communities across the United States and elsewhere to finance the rest. We’ve stretched every dollar we’ve received, and demand transparency and full accounting for every dollar spent in Armenia to ensure maximum impact. Donating to ACA is how Armenians everywhere can tangibly help improve the quality of life in Armenia for people with Alzheimer's.”
Find out more about the work of ACA and how to donate, at: https://alzheimers.am/
